Pocket-knife



(Ho Madel.)

A. H. RUSSELL. POGKBT KNIFE.

No. 552,928. Patented Jan. 14,1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

ALBERT II. RUSSELL, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE RUSSELL AUTOMATIC KNIFE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POCKET-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,928, dated January 14;, 1896.

Application filed January 24, 1893. Serial No. 459,514. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. RUSSELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket-Knives, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a knife enibodying my invention in oneforni, the blades being closed and portions of the internal construction being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the blades being open. Fig. 3 is a view showing the knife with one cover removed. Fig. a is an inner face view of the cover removed. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the back and sides detached. Fig. 7 is an elevation of one of the blades detached. Fig. Sis an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating a modification.

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing another modific-ation. Fig. 10 is a similar view of yet another modified form.

My invention relates to pocket-knives, and more particularly to that class known as automatic knives, wherein the blade is actuated by a spring and controlled by a detent, so that when the detent is released the spring forces the blade automatically into an open position, the detent locking the blade in either its open or closed position.

My present invention has for its object to provide a construction having superior coinpactness, simplicity, cheapness, and efficiency; and to these ends it consists in the matters and things which will be hereinafter described, and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings I have shown my invention applied to a two-bladed knife having a blade pivoted at each end of the handle, but it is obvious that the invention may be applied to a single-bladed knife, although one of its chief advantages is that it may be applied to a knife having more than one blade.

In the drawings, A represents the main portion of the handle, comprising the sides A and back A. These parts are desirably formed in one piece. Apertures a are formed through the sides A near each end to receive the pivots of the blades 13.. These pivots B are hollow and internally threaded to receive the screws 0 that clamp the covers 0 onto the sides. Each blade 13 has an aper ture b to receive the pivot B, and on opposite sides thereof apertures or depressions b b" to receive the detent-dog. Each blade is further provided with a pin or projection b on one side, extending laterally outward through a slota in. the adjacent side A and projecting beyond the outer face of said side. It will be observed that the slot a is a segment of a circle having the pivot of the blade for its center.

In the inner face of each cover is formed a recess c, in which is placed a U-shaped spring 0, lying within said recess and hearing against its wall, said spring having its free end arranged in the path of the corresponding pin If. The recess 0' terminates in an arc-shaped groove 0 to accommodate the projecting end of said pin. hen the blade is open the pin is at the extreme end of the groove 0 and in closing the blade said pin comes into contact with the free end of the spring C and compresses it into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thus when the blade is free to move the spring C, acting on the pin 11 will throw the same automatically into full-open position in an obvious manner.

To control the blade, I employ a detent carried by the other cover, each cover carrying the detent for one blade and the spring for the other in the construction shown. In the inner face of each cover 0 is formed a recess 0 which at its inner end is cut entirely through the cover, forming an aperture c 1 -Within this recess lies the detent-lever D, which is provided at one end with a pressure-plate or boss (I, which extends through and fills the aperture 0 lying normally flush with the outer face of the cover. At its other end the detent-lever D carries the detent proper, consisting of a pin, projection or dog (5, extending inward through ahole ((1 111 the side A, and being adapted to engage either one of the recesses or depressions b b of the blade B. This detent is forced into such engagement by means of a spring (I in the re cess a acting upon the top wall of said recess and the lever D. In practice I prefer to employ a leaf-spring, as shown, attached at one end to the lever and bearing at its other free end against the cover. To obtain a suitable fulcrum and permit the lever D to rock, the end thereof forming the pressure-plate or boss (Z is undercut, as shown at d in Fig. 5, the edge d of the portion not undercut forming the fulcrum. This is a simple and effective mode of construction, but other modes may be adopted-such, for instance, as bending the lever into the shape shown ,orpivoting it.

The knife thus constructed is operated in the following manner: The blades being closed, and it being desired to open either of them, pressure upon the plate d will withdraw the detent d from the aperture ordepression b, when the spring 0, acting on the pin b automatically throws theblade clear open. XVhen the blade reaches the fully-open position, the detent engages the other aperture or depression b and-thus automatically locks the blade in its open position. When it is desired toclose the blade, the plate d is again depressed to unlock the blade, andthis latter may the rbe closed in the usual manner, again compressing the spring G. hen the blade is fully closed, the detent again locks it in its closed position.

It will be noted that the blade-operating spring, instead of being in the plane of .the blade, is wholly to one side thereof or laterally arranged relatively thereto. This arrangement permits the use of a full-sized blade without any increase in the depth of the handle, while at the same timethe blade may be closed down flat and entirely within the handle, presenting no projecting points or shoulder to catch the clothing or render handling unpleasant, or. dangerous. The in,- closureof the blade-operating spring within the recess in the coverserves not only'to protectthespring from moisture and dust, but gives room for an efficient spring of large relative size and strength without increasing the dimensions of the handle.

I The employment of the pin or projection on the .blade as a means for transmitting the power ofthe spring ,to the .blade gives an ,increased leverageand ainore even application of power. 'Ihesecuring ofthe spring to the detent-lever, and the mounting of this latter loosely in a recess in thecover, givesa con: struetionof greatlyrreduced cost along with ease of assembling without any sacrifice of efficiency. The mode of pivoting the blades and connecting the pivots and covers not only provides an extra largebearin g for the blades. but also enables anyone to readily take apart and assemble the knife, thus facilitating and reducing the cost of repairs.

It is obvious that the details of the constru .tion shown and described may be varied in many ways Without departing from the principle of my invention. As an illustration of this I have shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10 three modifications of the actuating-spring C. Instead of the U-shaped spring already described I may employeither the single-leaf spring shown in Fig. 8, the volute coiled Spring shown in Fig. 9, or the helical coiled spring shown in Fig. 10. Other modifications of this and otherfeatures will readilysuggesr themselves, and I therefore do not wish to be nnderstood-aslimiting myself to the precise details of construction shown in the drawings and described in thespecification.

That I claim is 1. In an automatic knife, the combination. with a bladehaving a lateral projection, of a handle comprising a main portion composed of a back and sides,.between which latter the blade is pivoted, one of said sides having an are-shaped slot through which said projection of the blade extends and the other having an aperture for the detent, said handle also comprising separate covers recessed on their inner faces,.a blade-operating spring located in the recess of one cover, and a spring controlled detent located in therecess of the other cover and accessible from the exterior thereof, so bstantially as described.

2. In an automaticknife, the combination, with a handle comprisinga back and sides, or a blade pivoted between the sides and having a projection extending through an arc-shaped slot in one of them, a cover recessed in its inner face, .and a U-shaped spring located in said recess andhaving its free end located in the path of said projection, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic knife, the combination, with the main frame of the handle, composed of the back and sides,the latter apertured nea 1- each end, of the hollow, internally-threaded cylinders arranged in said apertures, the separablecovers, andthe screws passing loosely throughthecovers and taking into the internallythreaded cylinders,substantially as described.

ALBERTI. II. RUSSELL. In presence of- LEONARD WA'rsoN, lnvnvn MIL ER. 

